Plänterwald

Berlin, Germany

Ferriswheel at Spreepark Berlin.
Spreepark Berlin started its life in 1969 as Kulturpark Plänterwald, located on 29.5 hectares (73 acres) of land between the Plänterwald forest and the river Spree, in the eastern Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick. At that time, the district was in East Berlin. It was the only amusement park in the socialist German Democratic Republic.
The park reopened in 1991 as Spreepark Berlin, and then things got complicated.
9 years later, Spreepark was in deep debt, having taken out loans as well as a mortgage worth 20 million Euros from the city of Berlin. There were lots of reasons for why attendance waned, but the increasingly steep price of admission and the lack of nearby parking spots were considered contributing factors. In 2001, the Spreepark management company declared bankruptcy and closed the park for good.
Spreepark is now dilapidated and overgrown with weeds; it is surrounded by a fence and monitored by security, since it has become a favorite destination for photographers and urban explorers.
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